It’s a day after Christmas, but on a small table covered by a tent in the front yard of a St. Petersburg home, Matt Thorn is still busy wrapping gifts. A vanity mirror, a toy car; the presents are not for himself or his husband, but they are for family — in a way. “Resiliency will always breed a comeback story,” Thorn said while applying a piece of tape to seal the gift. Three months after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida, bringing a path of destruction across the Gulf Coast, Thorn continues to assist the comeback in his Shore Acres neighborhood where homes were damaged and many were displaced by widespread flooding. While dealing with their own damage hours after the hurricane, Matt and his friend started the Shore Acres Relief Market and Grille. The community relief center made up of tents and couches in the front yard, is a home for serving up food and fellowship 7 days a week, an escape for neighbors from post-storm stress. “Doing breakfast, lunch and dinner every day for a month, and providing supplies, cleaning supplies, mostly in the beginning of it, but it has evolved to other things,” Thorn explained. “We'll all sit around the table and still find ways to bond with each other. I think the most grateful thing is watching people getting what they actually need,” Thorn added. From having fun events like movie night and karaoke to still being a drop-off site for donations. This Christmas and Hannukah season, Matt has been a neighborhood Santa; his sleigh is his red SUV as he drops off gifts to families and neighbors who lost everything. “I had people reach out to me directly of where they're actually living and their contact information, kids, ages, who's in the house, what they were looking for,” Thorn added. MORE: https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/pinellascounty/helene-supporting-shore-acres-neighbors/67-d8026a30-f4c5-4e06-abbf-5ee0516e1c78